Passion is key to happy and successful franchisees

Simon Beaty | Managing Director | Snooze management 

Like a great bed, a good franchisor should give support without being too firm - and franchisees should be sleeping easy every night.

The following are initiatives that we, at Snooze, found useful in generating enthusiasm amongst our many franchisees, and providing them with the support they need to feel passionate about their franchise business.

Building Confidence

You can instil confidence in your franchisee with comprehensive research and knowledge of the product you are selling. Reinforce this throughout the partnership to maintain a strong ongoing sense of pride and purpose by going above and beyond the bread-and-butter product. Stocking technologically advanced product lines, and continually carrying out comprehensive national (and even international) research into current trends, products and services and feeding it back to your franchisees directly definitely increases enthusiasm.

Providing exclusive products and services also plays a major part in reaffirming to franchisees that you are a leader in your franchise's industry; that their business has something no-one else does, and for that reason customers will be drawn to their store over others.

Creative Advertising

Standard sale periods throughout the year don't allow for too much creativity. However, working with a creative agency will keep all advertising and promotions fresh, and encouraging feedback from your franchisees will engage them fully in this process.

During the last few years Snooze completely rebranded, successfully changing from "Capt'n Snooze" to the more stylish branding you see today. Together, Snooze and its franchisees recognised customers were taking sleep more seriously, and felt the brand needed to change to reflect its position as the sleep and bedroom style expert.

When the new branding was introduced, a renewed sense of ownership, pride and passion for the business was evident among franchisees and their in-store teams.

"Franchisor support can only be provided effectively when the needs and concerns of the franchisees, as well as the market, are fully understood. And the only way to really understand is to do research, spend time and really listen."

In-store

To keep stores looking fresh, it is great to offer in-house experts to assist franchisees with store layout, design, fixtures and fittings, as well as providing hands-on visual merchandising support.

Franchisees' input is crucial to creating stylish store layout, as well as increasing franchisee passion. They know their customers' wants and needs best. Offering support within the store environment further instils a sense of pride and reinforces ownership of the franchise business.

Experience

Experience is essential to building franchisees' confidence in their business. Making sure there are effective systems, processes and support mechanisms in place ensures a stress-free and productive work place. No matter how long you have been a franchisor for, sales processes need to be customised on an ongoing basis through trial and error, and through keeping in close contact with your franchisees.

Overall

Franchisor support can only be provided effectively when the needs and concerns of the franchisees, as well as the market, are fully understood. And the only way to really understand is to do research, spend time and really listen.

Allow your franchisees to sleep easy knowing that they are valued, and have a great product/service to sell, whilst assuring that passion for your brand is spreading, even while they sleep.